Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water (NIV).

1) Here we have a contrasts of two souls. One is rooted in the Lord, who in verse 13 is called "the spring of living water." The other soul is rooted in humanity. In verse 6, such a soul is called "a sorry shrub." These two souls are described according to their decisive orientation, their chosen way of life.

2) The soul that trusts in mankind is called "cursed." What does it mean to be cursed? (v. 5-6)

a) Useless - a stunted shrub in the desert

b) Hopeless - "no hope for the future"

c) Miserable - they will "not see good"

d) Alone - "where no one lives"

3) The soul that trusts in God is described "blessed."

a) Resourced - "planted by a riverbank"

b) Stable - "roots reach deep"

c) Flourishing - "leaves stay green"

d) Fruitful - "producing delicious fruit"

4) This soul-rooted in God is secure, settled, serene, satisfied, and sufficient for dry seasons. The "sorry shrub" is sapless, useless, worthless, worried, and sterile.

a) The key to the differences is where their lives are rooted.

b) The soul rooted in God has unbounded potential for development and unending power for growth. That is true because this soul’s roots are grounded in the inexhaustible fountain of life, or as verse 13 puts it, "the spring of living water."

c) The soul rooted within the resource of this "living water" has a moral freshness about it, a vital connection with the living God.

5) Living water is an important metaphor running throughout God’s revelation to us in the Holy Bible.

6) Read these other verses: Jeremiah 2:13; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 22:17.

 
iThirst

1) We are all acquainted with physical thirst. Your body, according to some estimates, is 80% fluid.

2) Water is essential. Stop drinking and see what happens. Coherent thoughts vanish, skin grows clammy, and vital organs begin to wrinkle like a raisin. Your eyes need fluid to cry; your mouth needs moisture to swallow; your glands need a sweat to keep your body cool; your cells need blood to carry them; your joints need fluid to lubricate them. Your body needs water the same way a tire needs air.

3) In fact, your Maker wired you with a "low fluid indicator." It is called thirst. Let your fluid level grow low, and watch the signals flare. Deprive your body of necessary fluid, and your body will tell you.

4) Deprive your soul of spiritual water and your soul will tell you. Dehydrated hearts send desperate messages: short tempers, waves of worry, growing guilt, and increasing fear.

5) View the pains of your heart, not as struggles to endure, but as an inner thirst to quench. These afflictive emotions are proof that something inside of you is starting to shrivel.

6) Treat your soul as you treat your thirst. Take a gulp. Flood your heart with a good swallow of water. Where do you find water for your soul? Jesus gave an answer one October day in Jerusalem.

John 7:37-38 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

7) In this scene, Jesus is quite intense. He "stood and shouted." Christ is demanding attention.

8) The people thirsted. They needed water, not for their throats, but for their hearts. So Jesus gave them an invitation. Are your insides starting to shrivel? "Drink me," Jesus said.

a) What H2O can do for your body, Jesus can do for your heart. He can lubricate it, soften what is hardened, and flush out what is rusty.

b) Jesus, of course, is talking about his Spirit.

John 7:39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. NIV

9) Jesus does not need direction, only permission. Like water, Jesus won’t come in unless swallowed. We must willingly surrender to him.

10) Do you need a drink? Does your soul need to be flushed out? Does your heart need to be washed clean of fear, anxiety, and guilt? "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."

11) How is this done? You begin by heeding your thirst.

Psalm 32:4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone (NLT).

12) Don’t dismiss your loneliness. Don’t deny your anger. You’re restless spirit, churning stomach, the sense of dread. All of these are signal flares exploding in the sky. Heed your thirst.

13) Be careful in a dry time. You don’t want to drink dirty water or from a polluted pond. Not everything you put to your lips will help your thirst.

a) Do we really know what satisfies? When thirsty, we often reach for sugary drinks that do not quench our thirst.

b) Where do you go when your heart is thirsty?

c) An eighty hour work week may grant you a temporary sense of fulfillment but it will not satisfy the thirst in your soul.

d) Forbidden love, cheap thrills, and fast action may give you pleasure for a time but it will leave your soul thirsty, dirty, and desperate.

e) Even religion may seem like a good idea but it cannot reach the dry places of your heart. Church activities might hide a thirst, but it cannot quench it. Only the Good Shepherd can lead you to springs of living water. Only the Good Shepherd can restore your soul.

14) "Come to me and drink." Only Jesus can re-hydrate a hardened heart and a dry soul.

a) The word Christ uses for "drink" indicates continuous action. "Come to me and to drink and keep on drinking."

b) One bottle won’t satisfy your thirst. Regular drinking satisfies our thirsty souls.

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